FOR THE RECORD: Here’s something to sleep on

Friday

Nov 1, 2013 at 12:01 AMNov 1, 2013 at 1:13 AM

Back in 2003, I wrote a story about this issue and spoke to Kyla Wahlstrom, who had been studying sleep patterns and how they related to classroom behavior and success. Wahlstrom, a research associate at the University of Minnesota at the time of the interview, said, “A teenager’s biorhythms make them basically incapable of falling asleep before 10 p.m. And biologically, they’re in sleep mode until about 8 a.m.”

Gregory Mathis

Messing once again with the time this weekend is sure to have an impact – at least short term – on our biological clocks. That’s especially true if you’re a teenager (or the parent of a teenager!).

With Daylight Saving Time ending Sunday, Nov. 3 at 2 a.m., “falling back” one hour earlier could have an alarming effect on the 14-year-old in our house.

It’s a struggle now to get him to go to bed, with all devices off and the lights out, and to sleep. As difficult as the nighttime process is, it’s even more of an ordeal getting him up and out the door for high school at 6:30 a.m.

Parents have been hearing the excuses for years, but there is scientific credence to claims from teens for not being able to fall asleep at a reasonable hour or rise from deep slumber in the a.m.

There is compelling research, including studies done by the National Sleep Foundation, to support those claims.

Back in 2003, I wrote a story about this issue and spoke to Kyla Wahlstrom, who had been studying sleep patterns and how they related to classroom behavior and success. Wahlstrom, a research associate at the University of Minnesota at the time of the interview, said, “A teenager’s biorhythms make them basically incapable of falling asleep before 10 p.m. And biologically, they’re in sleep mode until about 8 a.m.”

She talked about a school system in nearby Edina, Minn., that decided to move the high school start time to 8:30 a.m. Her research showed students were more awake and more alert in class. Test scores and grades improved dramatically, prompting the Minneapolis School System to adopt an 8:40 a.m. start time for its high schools.

Local school systems have been contemplating switching high school start times for many years. Few have actually made the move, for many reasons.

First, changing the high school time means changing other school starting times. One model recommended elementary schools starting earliest, followed by the middle school, then high school. For busing reasons, there needs to be some time between the various levels because many systems share the same buses for all schools.

There are also social and non-academic reasons working against such a drastic shift in philosophy. Older students are sometimes counted on to watch younger siblings after school. High school students might have work schedules to consider or sports commitments. In terms of the athletics side of things, it could be difficult scheduling games against schools with earlier start times.

The idea of rearranging schedules and moving start times seems to have lost some momentum in recent years, but it’s a concept worth putting back on the table. We are placing increased demands on students of all ages to raise standards, but especially high school students who have a lot on their plates in the classroom, sports, extra-curricular activities, as well as greater expectations and responsibilities outside of school.

Sleep is important.

Isn’t it time to give every student – high school students in particular – every opportunity to succeed?

Gregory Mathis is editor-in-chief of GateHouse Media New England’s South and Cape Cod units. He can be reached by e-mail at gmathis@wickedlocal.com. Follow on Twitter, @gregorymathis.